ericsson



ICSSON. ION.

Patented Peb. 20, 1894.,

v(No Model.)

J.5H. LUDWIG 8. C. A. ER

UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE ACT ven 20rd UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JOHN H. LUDIVIG AND CHARLES A. ERICSSON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

UPRlGHT-PIANOFORTE ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,152, dated February20, 1894.

Application filed October 26,1 893. Serial No. 439,166. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Beit known that we, JOHN H. LUDWIG and CHARLES A. ERICSSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Upright-PianoforteActions, of which the following is a specilication.

The object of our invention is to improve the repeating action in anupright piano, simplifying it and economizing both space and material.

The accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification,represents in elevation our improved action in normal position.

The key is shown at 1 and is pivoted in any preferred way.

2 is the abstract fastened by pin to the jack 3 on the key 1. At theupper end the abstract 2 is pinned or otherwise securely fastened to therocker 4 which is pivoted to flange 5 carried by rail 6. The jack 7 ispivoted to the outer end of the rocker 4. S is the flange on said rockerto which is pivoted the escapement lever 9. One part of our inventionconsists in prolonging upward this flange and adapting it to act as aback check. W'e make the back check more responsive by making a saw-cutor slit in its upper end as shown at 10. The said upper end is coveredwith felt or cloth 11.

12 is the jack stop screw supported in the flange 8.

13 is the adjusting screw for the escapement lever and 14 is theregulating screw for said lever supported in the rail 15.

16 is the hammer whose rod 17 restsnormally against the felt of rail 18and whose butt 19 is pivoted on flange 2O of rail 21.

22 is the roll cushion interposed between the escapement lever 9 and thehammer butt 19. These two parts, to wit, the hammer butt and theescapement lever, are connected by spiral spring 23 and silk thread 24,these two parts being united together and forming a close but yieldingconnection between the escapement lever and the hammer preventing anyconsiderable separation of the two and insuring the rapid drawing backof the hammer after the blow has been delivered to the string. Thus, thelever and butt act in unison without any waste motion j ust as if theywere one. A wire hook 44 serves as the means of attaching the silkthread loop 24 to the hammer butt.

25 is the back stop supported on the butt 19 by the wire 2G and actingagainst the iiange 8.

It will be seen that we make the flange S permanent and rigid and anyadjustment that is necessary for an individual key is made by means ofthe wire 26 which course is the reverse of that usually adopted informer actions.

27 is the spring which holds up the escapement leverand operateson theheel 28ofjack 7.

29 is the jack regulating screw which we mount in the manner shown, thatis to say, we arrange it diagonally in the lower edge of the rail 21 sothat its operative end projects forward in convenient position to beoperated by means of a screw driver, or otherwise. By this meansconsiderable economy of space is effected.

30 is the pad which stops the jack when it has moved to the requireddistance.

The string is shown at 3l, a damper at 32, a damper lever at 33 pivotedon the flange 2O and a damper lever rocker at 34 pivoted on the flange35 carried by rail 36. The rocker 34 has a spoon or rod 37 which bearson a pad at the lower end of the damper lever 33.

38 is a step on the abstract preferably made with the inclined upperface as shown to receive a pad 39 on the under front end of the damperlever rocker 34.

40 is the sustaining pedal bar. The sustaining pedal is not shown but itis under stood that the usual means of rocking this bar may be employed.The bar stretches across the piano over the entire length of the dampersand is fastenedin the action brackets so as to be capable of beingrevolved by means of the pedal.

41 is aspring hook supported in the end of the damper lever rocker 34."When the rocker 34 is raised on depression of the key 1, the springhook 41 is engaged and held by the bar 40 which is turned up by the footto engage it so that any individual note maybe held and sustainedindependently of the others by reason of its damper being held away fromthe spring by the action of the spoon 37 acting on the lower end of thedamper lever 33 until released from the bar 40 by the action IOO of thepedal. The lack of positive connection between the step 38 and thecushion 39 allows this independentoperation of the rockers 34.

It will be seen that the action is positively connected together all theway from the key to the hammer, operating throughout without 1. In anupright pianoforte action, the

rocker 4 having flange 8, the escapement lever 9 carried by said flange,the upper end of said flange being prolonged and adapted to act as aback check in combinationwith the hammer and the stop or check 25carried thereby and lhaving its inner side engaging said back check,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the rocker 4, the escapement lever 9, the rigidcombined ange and back check 8, the hammer and the back stop 25supported by flexible rod 26 from the hammer butt, substantially as setforth,

3. The combination of the rocker 4, the escapement lever 9, fiange 8prolonged above said lever and having its upper end slit or saw-cut andhammer and back stop adapted to act in connection therewith,substantially as set forth. y

4. The combination of the rocker 4, the escapement lever 9, jack 7, thehammer, the roll cushion 22 interposed between the hammer butt andescapement lever and a tension spring` connected to the escapement leverand to said hammer butt, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the rocker 4, the escapement lever 9, jack 7, thehammer, the roll cushion between the hammer butt and escapement lever,the tension spring 23 and silk thread'24, said spring and thread beingconnected together and serving to unite the es' capement lever andhammer butt, substantially as set forth.

6. In an upright pianoforte action having the rocker 4 and the abstract2 connecting said rocker with the key without loose motion, the uprightdamper lever 33, the horizontal damper operating rocker 34, the step 38on the abstract whereon the forward end of said damper operating rockerrests, hook v 41 on said damper operating rocker and a sustaining bar40, arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

JOHN H. LUDWIG. iL. s]

CHAS. A. ERICSSON. [n s] Witnesses:

J. W. DEUEL, WILLIAM F. HIERS.

